The commercial cultivation of plants in enclosed spaces is well known. Greenhouses and warehouses have been used for many decades to cultivate and grow plants for commercial use. Such use of these enclosed spaces has been done primarily to: extend the growing seasons of the plants being cultivated, to achieve additional growing cycles per year by way of controlling the growing environment utilizing mechanical or otherwise artificial means for lighting, watering and nutrient application to the plants, and maintain atmospheric conditions including humidity levels, temperature control and levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
The demonstrable need and desire for a means of obtaining the freshest available, locally grown produce and other commercially grown plants, that achieves the highest possible levels of food safety and food security, and is available in an easily and immediately accessible manner in any area, including urban or rural settings, is well documented in recent years. Satisfying these needs has historically been a major challenge due to the historic nature of growing crops at commercial scale and the need for substantial space associated with doing so.
As various plant growing technologies, such as soil-less growing using aeroponics and/or hydroponics and/or aquaponics, and the components of these respective technologies that allow for the commercial cultivation of plants in virtually any indoor or sheltered environment located in virtually any location continue to develop, it is clear the need can be met for adapting suitable enclosures for use in the agricultural industry for provision of such controlled plant growing environments. The present invention in multiple embodiments addresses those stated needs and desires in a unique manner, and is a major step forward in addressing many of the inherent flaws in the current perishable food supply system.
Therefore it is the object of the present invention to provide a plant cultivation system for commercial scale use, which utilizes a grow enclosure to house and operate the components that make up the entire growing facility. The facility is designed to be operated easily by a person of limited training. The present invention provides the ability to grow and harvest commercial scale quantities of a variety of robust, healthy vegetables, stem/vining fruits, and tall flowering plants among others in an area less than 1,000 square feet within the grow enclosure, wherein the grow enclosure can be either a mobile or fixed structure. The present invention, operated either aeroponically, aquaponically, or hydroponically, affords dramatic savings of water usage when compared to traditional farming in soil, and is extremely environmentally sound as a result of this and other specific functional elements, such as the ability to operate without the use of any pesticides, herbicides or chemicals of any kind. Thus, there are no toxic byproducts from the operation of the growing system that is presently described.
The ability of the present invention to be readily portable and to be climatically controlled affords the ability to place the invention in any location and produce numerous types of vegetables, fruits and other crops year around, without regard to outside climate. This factor allows the user to grow substantially more “cycles” of crops annually, which translates to lower overall operating costs and increased potential for substantial and sustained profitability when operated in normal market conditions.